Why Are Freelance Writers So Costly?

This first installment of my new monthly newsletter is my attempt to explain all the reasons why we writers charge what we charge.

Oh, the money question: What are your rates? It’s often the first thing I’m asked whenever I’m contacted by someone who has a writing project for me. And it’s understandable; money’s tight.

The thing is, there’s only one answer to the question, and it’s never really satisfying for the person asking.

The answer is: Tell me about your project.

Not All Projects Are the Same

Plumbers and dentists have different prices for different services. So, too, do writers, (and there’s generally a floor we won’t go below – more on that later).

The more complicated the project, the higher the price will be. A short 300- to 499-word blog post with light research and no interviews needed is going to cost much less than an article of 500 or more words.

Anything like white papers or e-books, which are even more complicated and typically longer length, will cost even more – that’s because they require heavy research plus finding and interviewing sources, transcribing, detailed outlining, writing, copyediting, proofreading, revising, meeting with you on several occasions, and on and on.

This is why before any professional writer will give you a price, we need you to share more information. So, we ask for a discovery call to give you the opportunity to go over everything you want, who your audience is, the frequency of deliverables, etc. The more we know about what your project entails, the easier it will be for us to figure up a price for you.

Quality Comes at a Price

While there are agencies that can offer you low-low rates, like $100 a blog post or a $500 e-book, I can guarantee the agencies are paying their writers cents on the dollar and the writers are either inexperienced, hobbyists, or both – or worse, they’re not proficient in English. Readers pick up on the nuances of writing, and when they’re misleading, vague, or unhelpful, it weakens your copy, which lowers your authority.

There’s a skill to writing each kind of deliverable you ask for, especially when you need SEO for precise search terms. Pro writers know how to wrestle with search engines.

One factor that can increase cost is your niche. Businesses in very niche industries, for example, IT, human resources, finance, construction, etc., are charged a premium. To write for niche industries calls for writers with experience, preferably industry experience, who know the lingo and the audience, and you can only get that from a pro.?

Another factor is the writer’s experience. A writer with three years of experience is not going to cost as much as one with 20. You are paying for a writer’s expertise and craft, which take years to develop. It’s not just the niche or specialty; the more in-demand a writer is, the higher fee that person can ask.

Speed Increases Cost

There’s an old adage in the business world: You can have it fast. You can have it good. You can have it cheap. Pick two. That maxim is as true now as it was 100 years ago.

While you may want something by tomorrow or by next week, the writer you choose to work with may not have the time to do something that quickly, and definitely not for a regular price. (If your writer’s a pro, timelines and prices for rush jobs will be spelled out in your contract.)

Writers are businesspeople who juggle many clients. Writers have deadlines, and if they’re like me, they’re booked out at least a month, if not two or three months, so asking for a rush job would mean the equivalent of working overtime at a regular job.

Rush jobs mean extra work on top of the daily deadlines, which means longer hours – hours away from other responsibilities, like family.

Pro writers are going to charge 150%, double, or more for something that needs to be rushed.

Ghostwritten or By-Lined Makes a Difference

You know how when you vetted your writer (please tell me you’ve vetted your writer), you took a look at a few writing samples before you pulled the trigger? Well, those samples, often called clips, generally have the writer’s by-line attached.

Whenever our work is published with our by-line, we will put the article or e-book or whatever the deliverable is, into a portfolio as a link and a PDF to use as a marketing tool.

That’s how we get work.

If you want a writer to ghostwrite anything or write for your library with no by-line, then the writer cannot use (without permission from you) the work to market themselves, meaning they can’t earn new business from the clip.

This is why we charge a premium price for non-bylined work; we don’t have that sample to prove our expertise and skill to another prospective client.

If you want to save cost, allow the writer’s by-line. (A bonus: If your writer is a specialist, their name can help add to your authority, because they’re a recognized commodity in your niche.)

Now, About That Floor

Remember I said there’s a floor that writers won’t go below when pricing even the simplest work? That floor represents their ROI. There’s a point where it would cost the writer money if they priced their work at, say, below $500 for a simple blog post.

Why?

Just as you have a lowest-priced item or service, so do we. And for your item, you probably took into account your costs of doing business, such as the cost of business licenses, business insurance, supplies, software, utilities, and time to come up with that price.

When we price our services, we take all of that into consideration, too.

I promise we do try to work within your budget to meet your content marketing goals.

Have a Question?

If you have a question on content, I’d love to hear from you. Hit Subscribe and leave your question below. ?

Looking for a Professional Freelance Writer?

If you’re looking for a professional freelance writer, a great place to find one is on the American Society of Journalists and Writers (ASJA) website.

If you want to know how to work with a freelancer, please visit my website and download your free e-book, How to Work with a Freelancer.

Who Am I??

I’m Diane Faulkner, an award-winning freelance writer and editor based in Florida. A solopreneur for 23 years, I now have an agency of writers and editors, Full Circle Press.

My client list includes Forbes, LegalZoom, ADP, Wiley, ERE Media, Fordham University, Goodyear, and others, as well numerous start-ups – from those emerging out of stealth mode, like BingeBuilderX, to mature, late-stage ones, like GuideWell.

Are you ready to put your ideas into print? I’m here to help.

Want to Work with Me?

I’m pretty easy to reach. Just book a time with me on my Calendly. I’d be happy to chat.